Revelations
by Athena2008
Summary: SG1 XFiles Crossover. Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter has a suspicious F.B.I. File, and Special Agent Fox Mulder is determined to find out why.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: None of the characters are mine, and all of that good stuff. There are spoilers from Stargate episodes: Chimera, Affinity, and Threads.

SUMMARY: Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter has a suspicious F.B.I. File, and Agent Mulder is determined to find out why.

A/N: While this is a cross-over fic, the focus is mostly on SG-1, specifically Carter. There are no real ships in the story. A little Jack/Sam, I guess. In addition, I would like to squash this idea (although I think that it's a good one) before it starts: Carter will not turn out to be Mulder's sister. I hadn't actually noticed that their names were the same until I was actually writing this story down.

On that note, please read and review. I would really, really appreciate any constructive criticism. Thanks! And I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter unlocked her front door and entered the house. She glanced around to make sure that everything appeared to be in order; it had been almost a week since she had come home last. She had been staying in her quarters at the base every night, so that she would be able to monitor a project that she was working on. Not that she had minded; this house had had a feeling of emptiness about it for the past year that far surpassed anything that she had felt while in it in the past. Perhaps it had been the loss of her father, or her failed engagement; she did not know, but in any case, the sense of pain that she felt whenever she entered the house was enough to keep her at the base for long periods of time. 

Carter put down her bag and took off her coat and left them in the entrance of the house. She walked in and paused, unsure of what she could do now that she was at home. Her ever-lasting presence on the base had not gone unnoticed. General Landry had finally ordered her to go home, and so she had reluctantly made her way here. She entered the kitchen but then immediately exited, realizing that she was not hungry and that she did not have the patience to try and make something that tasted decent. She entered the living room and sat down on the couch with a sigh. She glanced around her and found the TV remote sitting on the coffee table. It had been quite some time since she had watched television, since she would usually work in her lab until she was too exhausted and then she would immediately go to her quarters and turn in. She picked up the remote and turned the TV on. As she absent-mindedly flipped through the channels, she contemplated her misery. _What do I even want?_ she asked herself, certain that she would not be able to answer. Carter didn't know exactly what she wanted out of life. Although she was perfectly happy working at the SGC, she had always wanted a family. She knew that that was the reason she had accepted Pete's proposal in the first place. But with everything that had happened in the few months, she was not sure that a family would be enough for her. She wanted more than that, but either she could not or would not tell herself what that "more" was. She sighed again as she turned the TV off. She picked a pillow off the couch and sat holding it as she tried to convince herself that what she thought she wanted wasn't really what she wanted, and that it was time to stop living in the past and move on with her life. Unfortunately, her ever-logical brain was no match for her heart.

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Special Agent Fox Mulder was rarely a patient man, but today, he was especially restless. Agent Dana Scully looked over at her partner and asked, "Mulder, what's with you today? I've never seen you like this."

Mulder glanced at his partner before looking back at the house that they were watching. "I don't know, Scully. I just feel like this could be the one," he answered, barely blinking as he watched the house. He watched a car pulled up in front of the house and the driver got out and went inside. He sat still and waited for something to happen, though he didn't know what exactly he expected to occur.

Whatever his expectations were, Mulder was disappointed. He could see no activity in the house at all as he sat there. He thought he saw the shadow of a figure sitting in one of the rooms near the front of the house, but he could not be sure. He shifted in position and again caught Scully's attention. "Mulder, what are we doing here?" she asked, unsure of why her partner had dragged her half-way across the country to a small city in Colorado just to sit in a car.

"This is big, Scully," he said in his mystic tone.

Scully was in no mood for this attitude. "Mulder, either you tell me what you're thinking or we're going. I have work that I need to get done at headquarters," she said, frustrated.

Mulder chuckled softly to himself. He didn't believe that Scully would actually make him abandon this surveillance, but he also did not want to deal with a partner who was annoyed with him for the rest of the evening. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door.

Scully grabbed Mulder's arm. "Mulder, where are you going?" she asked.

"Come on, Scully," he said.

Scully sighed and got out the car. She walked around to the other side as Mulder began to make his way across the street. Scully caught up with him and stopped him. "Mulder, tell me what's going on first," she said.

"Mulder stopped and turned to look at Scully. He considered her for a moment and then pulled her back to the side of the street where their car was parked. He glanced around to make sure that no one was within earshot and then explained quietly, "About a year ago, an agent got a call from a Denver police officer about an officer in the United States Air Force."

"And?" Scully encouraged.

"Well, personally, I think that the police officer was just looking into this person for personal reasons, but I was looking at the file, Scully," he said.

Scully sighed again. She hated it when Mulder decided to be vague about details. "What did you find?" she asked.

"That's just it, Scully. Nothing. There's nothing there after 1993," he explained.

"So, what? You automatically jump to the conclusion that this is some kind of government cover-up?" she asked. Admittedly, the fact that there was nothing in the file of a United States Air Force officer was suspicious, but she did not see why it would warrant Mulder's interest.

"Well, the one thing that I did find about her is that she works at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex here in Colorado Springs in deep space radar telemetry," he told Scully.

"And what's so suspicious about that?" Scully asked.

"Why would a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force have a file with nothing else in it, if she was working on something so basic?" he asked. "There has to be more to this, Scully." Mulder's eyes implored Scully to believe and to follow Mulder on this one.

Scully motioned in the direction of the house they had been watching, as if to say _lead the way_. She sighed again, thinking about all of the work that she had to do, and realizing that she would never get it done at this rate.

Mulder turned back to the house and headed for it again. Upon reaching the front door, he rang the bell and waited patiently, his hand on his badge so that he would be able to flash it quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Thanks for all of the reviews on the first chapter! I'm glad that other people wanted to see this crossover. I'd been toying with the idea, and when I finally came up with a plot, I had to write it.

Couple of things that I forgot to mention before: This story takes place right around the time of "Beachhead", in the 9th season. I haven't really placed it within the X-Files timeline of events; I pretty much just borrowed the characters (but I guess you could say somewhere pre-7th season, before Mulder finds out about his sister). And I guess the story's a bit anachronistic, since technically, the X-Files ended when SG-1 was beginning. Still, the Pete story-line seemed the best way to bring the FBI into the picture.

Also, I had forgotten that there's a Stargate episode called "Revelations". This story is really in no way related to that episode.

I hope you like this next part, and I hope that I'm doing justice to the characters. I would really appreciate any feedback, especially on Mulder.

* * *

Carter heard the door bell and ring. She got up from the couch, wondering who was there. Mitchell, Daniel, and Teal'c had all gone out together for the evening, after unsuccessfully imploring Carter to join them. She had wanted to be alone, and they all knew that; they would not come around for the evening. 

She reached the door and looked through the hole. She did not recognize the man and woman standing on the other side. She looked around quickly to ensure that she had something that she could use as a weapon near at hand. Identifying the umbrella that she had propped in the corner as a good candidate, she opened the door slightly.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a firm but polite tone.

The man took out a badge and showed it to her. _F.B.I.?_ she thought. _What could they possibly want?_

"I'm Special Agent Mulder. This is my partner, Agent Scully," he explained, indicating the woman standing behind him. "We're looking for Lt. Colonel Carter," the man said.

Carter raised an eyebrow. "I'm Lt. Colonel Carter," she said.

The man looked slightly confused. "You're Lt. Colonel Sam Carter?" he asked.

Carter nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Sam… it's short for Samantha." She wondered what this agent wanted.

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Mulder was confused. The file had said "Sam". But F.B.I. files always had a full name listed. He could not understand why this woman's file would only list a nickname.

Scully shared in Mulder's confusion. Admittedly, she had expected the person they were seeking to be a man, but more than that, she wondered why Mulder seemed so taken aback all of a sudden. She expected him to always keep his composure and to know at least a fair amount about the person who they were interrogating, especially if he had run a background check on that person beforehand.

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Carter looked back and forth between the two agents. They made her uncomfortable. She knew perfectly well how to keep her composure at a time like this; she would never let anything that she knew slip, but that did not mean she liked having to deal with people questioning her. Of course, she did not know if that was why the agents were here. "Can I help you with something?" she asked again, hoping to get rid of them quickly so that she could go back to whatever it was that she had not been doing.

The man seemed to be jolted out of some sort of shock. He looked back at his partner and then at Carter again and said, "We were looking through some files, and we had some questions about your line of work," he explained.

Carter sarcastically chuckled, hoping to mask her discomfort. She was sure was able to, having been working in top-secret projects for most of her career. "Why is the F.B.I. interested in deep-space radar telemetry?" she asked.

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Mulder decided to come right out and be direct with his questioning. This woman did not seem the type to patiently wait for him to get around to his point. "Come on, Colonel," he replied. "You and I both know that 'deep-space radar telemetry' is just a cover for something."

The woman chuckled again. "Listen, Agent Mulder, I know it probably doesn't sound all that interesting, but deep-space radar telemetry is fascinating. I really wouldn't use it as a cover for anything. I love what I do, and I'm proud to say it," she said.

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Every lie had some truth in it, Carter thought, and her lie was dripping with it. Over the years, "deep-space radar telemetry" had become the unofficial code word for the Stargate Program, as well as the official cover-story. Whenever she said "deep-space radar telemetry", in her mind, she was thinking "Stargate Program", so when she said that it was fascinating, it was, and when she said that she loved what she did, it was also the whole truth.

"Is there anything else that I can do for you, Agent Mulder?" she asked, in a tone that suggested that there was absolutely nothing more that she would tell him, now or in the future, and that she was intending to be anything but helpful if he continued his questioning.

"No," the man said with a small, mysterious smile. "Thank you for your time, Colonel," he added, before turning and walking back down the walkway. Agent Scully followed. Carter watched them until they were off of her property before closing the door and moving towards the front window. She watched as the two climbed into their car, and she made a mental note of the license plate. Although she knew that they could probably easily get another car or another license plate for the car they had already, she still felt better knowing that she had some knowledge about the agents. When she saw them drive off, Carter turned back to her phone and called the base. This was too important to wait until the next morning.

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"Mulder, what was that?" Scully asked, getting more frustrated with her partner by the second. He had been wasting her time all day, and she had lost patience for it.

"She knows something, Scully," Mulder said mystically.

"What, Mulder? What does she know?" Scully asked, practically yelling at the man sitting next to her.

"I don't know, Scully. But she definitely knows more than she's letting on," he said.

"Mulder, I don't understand what badgering an Air Force officer will do," Scully said, as she tried to calm herself down before she said something to Mulder that she would regret later.

"Come on, Scully. She's obviously into something. Something big," he said.

"Big?" Scully questioned. "Mulder, how can you be so sure?"

"I don't know, Scully. I can just feel it. I'm getting close," he said.

Scully sighed. His ever-lasting quest to find his sister, she thought to herself. She doubted very much that this Colonel Carter was involved in anything that would help Mulder find Samantha. In fact, she doubted everything that Mulder felt about Samantha, though Scully would never tell Mulder that. She could never ruin his spirit. Scully turned to face Mulder and asked, "So what are we going to do now?"

"We're going to stick around for a couple of days, Scully. See what we can find," he answered, before he pulled off the road into a hotel parking lot. He opened the door and got out. Scully followed, sighing again. Mulder opened the trunk of the car and got their bags out and walked towards the hotel entrance, checking to make sure that Scully was following.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry that it took me so long to update this. Hopefully, I can get things up more quickly in the future, but I'm taking a class right now, to which I have to devote most of time. But this story is too fun to write to stay away for too long. Hope you enjoyed this bit. Don't worry. There'll be more action a little later on.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry that things are still a little slow, both in my posting speed and in the story at the moment. I promise, things will pick up, and we'll see some action before long. Feedback, as always, is appreciated.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything pertaining to Stargate or The X-Files, including characters and plot points from the shows.

* * *

"F.B.I.?" General Landry inquired. "Asking questions?"

Major General Hank Landry had not been at the S.G.C. for long, but his experiences while there would certainly last him a lifetime. But this was one that he thought he would never have to face. _What could the F.B.I. possibly want with Colonel Carter?_ he thought to himself.

"Why don't you get back to base, Colonel. We'll talk about it here. I'll get SG-1 back here." He paused as he listened to the woman on the other end of the line. "Yes, I know, Colonel. They'll just have to cut their evening short. This could be serious."

"Yes, sir," Carter said into the phone. "I'll be there in ten minutes," she said before putting down the phone and retrieving her things from the front room. As she walked out the front door, Carter glanced around the street for any signs of the F.B.I. agents. Seeing nothing to arouse suspicion, Carter climbed into her car and drove the familiar path to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

Dr. Daniel Jackson was sitting at a table, laughing as he watched their waitress reject the man sitting across from him.

Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell turned to scowl at his teammate. "It's not funny, Jackson," he said, angry that Daniel found his misfortune so humorous.

"Oh, I think it is," was the archaeologist's answer.

Mitchell scowled again before turning back to his drink.

Teal'c watched the exchange with amusement. He was used to Tau'ri ways and thus did not question the reason as to why the line "hey baby, I can take you to the stars and beyond, what do ya say?" had not worked on the waitress.

Daniel was brought out of his episode when he heard his cell phone ringing. He picked it up and said "Daniel Jackson," into the receiver. He listened for a moment and then said, "Yes, sir. We'll be there soon," before hanging up. He turned to his companions and told them "General Landry. He wants us to come back, but he wouldn't say why."

"Guess we better go," Mitchell said. "You getting the check, Daniel?" he asked.

"Oh no, Mitchell, it's your turn," Daniel answered.

Mitchell grumbled as he put the money down on the table and followed his teammates out of the restaurant.

The three men climbed into Mitchell's car and headed back to the SGC, wondering what would have motivated General Landry to call them all back after he had ordered them to leave the base for the night.

The first thing the men noticed upon arriving in the Briefing Room was that Carter was there, which was even more suspicious, as she had been the reason General Landry had told them all to go in the first place. "Sam, what are you doing here?" Daniel asked.

"Long story," she answered.

General Landry chose this moment to enter from his office. "Sorry to cut your evening short, SG-1, but we have a bit of a situation," he told them, motioning for them to take their seats. After everyone had settled in, he continued. "Colonel Carter had an interesting pair of visitors today."

The three male SG-1 members looked at Carter questioningly, wondering what could have made her worried enough to tell General Landry.

"F.B.I. Agents," she told them, answering their unasked question.

"They were asking some normal questions, about what she did. What worried Colonel Carter is that they had been looking at her file," General Landry added.

"Why would they be looking at Carter's file," Mitchell asked, understanding the concern now.

"We're not sure," General Landry answered.

"Pete," Carter said. At Mitchell's questioning look, Carter added, "my ex-fiancé."

"What makes you think that he's involved, Sam?" Daniel asked.

"Before I told him about the SGC, he was getting too curious about what I did. He even followed me while I was on a mission Earth-side," she explained.

"The one involving Osiris?" Mitchell asked, knowing full-well that the answer was "yes".

Carter nodded, still amazed that Mitchell had actually read all of the mission reports. "And I'm sure he has ties at the F.B.I., since he's a cop," she continued.

Daniel saw where her explanation was going. "You think that he called in a favor to find out more about you?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "It's possible. He wasn't all that trusting when I told him that I worked in deep-space radar telemetry, and he's a detective. He's inquisitive by nature," she said.

"You think his contact at the bureau turned your file over to these goons that came to see you today?" Mitchell asked.

"Possibly," Carter answered.

"Why would they care?" Mitchell asked.

"What do you mean 'why would they care'?" Carter asked. "I've been working on the government's most highly classified project for almost twelve years now. My file wouldn't have much of anything in it for all of those years," she told him.

"Ah," Mitchell said. "And you figure these agents wanted to know more about what it was that you were actually doing?"

Carter nodded again. "This Agent Mulder was convinced that 'deep-space radar telemetry' was a cover, and he didn't seem the type to let it go," she said.

"What do we know about this Agent Mulder, anyway?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing yet," General Landry answered. "I want SG-1 to find out. I'm putting a hold on your missions for the next week. We need to find out what these agents know and what they want with information about the SGC. We can't risk any of this program getting out, not until we've got a better hold on the threat from the Ori," he told them, before getting up to head back to his office.

Carter and Mitchell stood, and Carter answered for the team. "Yes, sir," she said. They waited until General Landry had gone back into his office before they turned back to each other.

"So, what do you know so far, Sam?" Daniel asked.

"I have the license plate number for their car," she said.

"Which may or may not help us, depending on if they anticipated you getting the number," Daniel responded.

"Right," Mitchell said. "Do you know where they went, Sam?"

Carter shook her head. "Not sure. It looks like they were headed into the main city," she told him. "Maybe to go back to headquarters, but I think they were probably headed for a hotel."

"Okay," Mitchell said, devising a plan of action in his head. "So we split up and check the hotels around the area for the car that Sam saw them in. If we find it, we'll know where they're staying, and we can put a tail on them."

The team went to the nearest computer and made a list of all of the hotels in downtown Colorado Springs. They split the list up, and headed out of the base again, with Daniel and Carter going towards east downtown, and Mitchell and Teal'c going west.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! I know this chapter is short, but I'll get the next one up really soon, I promise. The action will really get going in Chapter 6 or 7, though there's a little in this chapter. Thanks for reading (and, hopefully, reviewing).

**Disclaimer**: The characters and some plot points are not mine.

* * *

As they neared the last hotel on their list, Carter yawned. While she didn't lose focus from the road, Daniel was concerned about his friend. He looked over at her and asked, "You okay?"

She glanced over at him and the looked back at the road. "Fine. Just a little tired," she answered.

"That's not what I meant," Daniel responded, still looking at Carter intently.

Carter stopped the car at a red light and looked at Daniel again. "I know," she responded. She had the feeling Daniel was more concerned about the fact that Pete had come back into the picture. She looked up at the light to make sure that it hadn't turned green yet; it hadn't, so she turned back to Daniel and continued. "I'm not surprised," she told him. "I just wish I was wrong about him, you know?"

"Yeah," Daniel responded. He didn't want to tell his friend that he was glad that she had broken it off with Pete when she did, and that he had never trusted Pete. Pete wasn't the type of man that Daniel had always pictured Sam with. Then again, there was a very specific man that Daniel always saw sharing his life with Sam, but he suspected that it was impossible to see that picture become a reality. So, in the spirit of concealing his true feelings about Pete, Daniel refrained from saying, "But I'm sure you weren't wrong about him." Instead, he said, "I suppose it doesn't matter how they found you. Just that they did."

Carter nodded. She had caught the hidden meaning behind Daniel's statement. The light turned green and she drove forward.

Daniel sat forward as they approached their last target. "Here it is, Sam," he said. As soon as she pulled into a parking spot, Daniel slowly got out of the car and then ducked, in case anyone was watching the lot. Sam followed suit. They glanced around the side of the car and decided that no one would be able to see them as they surveyed the line of cars in which they were parked, so they stood slowly and ran, hunched over, to the next car. They did so for the entire line of cars, checking each license plate as they went. Finding nothing, they ducked again.

"I don't see anyone around the lot. Do you?" Daniel asked in barely above a whisper.

Carter shook her head. Unfortunately, moving to the next line of cars would mean that they would be a position where they could be spotted from the hotel. "What if we go in between the cars. All of them should have a license plate in the front too," she whispered back.

Daniel nodded, and then ran back, crouched again, in the direction from which they had come. He carefully squeezed through the space between the first two cars in the line, hoping beyond hope that he didn't touch either one, in case it set off an alarm.

Meanwhile, Carter had already begun her search from the other end of the two rows of cars. She had neared the middle of the rows when she found something strange. A car that did not have a license plate on the front. She was sure that it was not permitted in the state of Colorado to have a car without front plates. She hesitated for a moment, afraid that she would compromise her position if she tried to make her way to the back of the car, but she had been in worse situations before. She crawled in a military fashion to the back of the car and then carefully looked up at the plate on the back. It was a match. She had found the car that they had been searching for.

Carter crawled back to the front end of the car and waited for Daniel to make his way there. He crawled up to her a few minutes later.

Carter merely pointed to the car and nodded. They made their way back to Carter's car and got in. Carter started the engine, thankful that her car was so quiet and pulled out of the space, anxious to get back the SGC and report what they had found.

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Mulder watched out the window as someone approached the back of his car from the ground and then moved back towards the front. He waited until a car started a short way away from his car and drove away before turning back. "They found us, Scully," he informed his partner with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Well, as promised, the next chapter's here, and definitely a lot longer than that last one. Hope you like it!

Updates might be a little slow coming because I'm still working out some of the next part, but unfortunately, the class I'm taking at the moment is taking up a lot of my time. I know I keep promising more action, and I assure you, it's coming. Just hang in there a little. In these next few chapters, we'll see some old friends as well as a guy that I can't imagine anyone actually likes.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Stargate or X-Files characters/ plot points.

* * *

Mitchell and Teal'c walked dejectedly back towards the Briefing Room, hoping that Carter and Daniel had had more luck. Teal'c, though well-versed in many aspects of the U.S. government, was still confused about their current situation. "Mitchell," he started. "Why does your government wish to investigate its own military officers?" 

Mitchell turned to look at Teal'c. "Well, this particular agent is because, I'm thinkin', he's completely nuts."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "And what has led you to this conclusion?"

"Why else would he go after Carter?" Mitchell asked. He really had no idea as to why some bureau agent would want to find out what Carter was really up to, even if her file was a little empty.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, thinking about his friend's military prowess.

The two men continued on in silence. Upon reaching the Briefing Room, they found General Landry there, waiting for their return. "Welcome back," he said. "Find anything?"

Teal'c answered, "We did not, General Landry."

"Well," General Landry said with a sigh. "Maybe Colonel Carter and Daniel have something for us."

A few minutes later, Carter and Daniel entered the Briefing Room. "Sir," Carter said upon seeing General Landry. "We found the car. They're at the Fairfield Inn."

"Good work, Colonel Carter, Dr. Jackson," General Landry said. "What's your next plan of action?" he asked.

"We'll keep a tail on them and monitor the situation, Sir," Carter answered. When she said it out loud, the plan didn't seem like enough. "Sir, with your permission, I'd like to go to Washington and see what I can find out about these two agents. I have some contacts who should be able to help."

"Permission granted. You'll leave at 0800 tomorrow, Colonel. I have something that I'll need you to do for me while you're there," he informed her. "Colonel Mitchell, I want you to head the surveillance efforts. I want to know what these agents are doing every minute of the day," General Landry ordered, before getting up and going back into his office.

"Yes, sir," Mitchell said to the retreating figure of the general. Then he turned back to Carter. "What contacts?"

"Anyone with a last name that starts with B and ends with –arrett?" Daniel asked, with a mischievous grin.

Carter smiled. "He has helped us out in the past," she answered.

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Mulder woke up the next morning, having barely slept due to the excitement that he felt at seeing two people sneaking around his car the previous night. His mind had been reeling with the possibilities of what he would find in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

Scully woke up to find Mulder dressed and ready to continue what she felt was a fruitless search. "Mulder," she started with a sigh. "What do you think-?" She stopped with her question, realizing that she had asked it many times before and that she would probably not get a straight answer from her partner; most likely, because he partner didn't have a clue as to what he would find beneath that mountain base. She sighed again and then reluctantly asked, "What are you planning to do today?"

"Scully, we have proof that there's something big going on. They were searching the hotel parking lot last night," Mulder answered.

"I know, Mulder. You told me. You don't even know if those were Air Force people searching out there yesterday," she told him.

"Why else would someone be looking at all of the cars parked out in the lot in the dead of night?" Mulder questioned, as if he was the most obvious reason for the exploration.

"Maybe they were car thieves, Mulder," Scully suggested, though she was not at all convinced. She had accepted that Mulder was probably right and that there probably was something very top secret that was going on at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, and that the Air Force was trying to hide something. However, she cared about Mulder and she did not want to see his fervor for the truth to put him in a compromising situation. If she did not deter him from his mission soon, she was sure that Mulder would do something irrational before long that would get him into trouble, and Scully was sure that crossing the United States Armed Forces was an all together bad idea. Unfortunately, she knew Mulder well enough to know that nothing short of death would stop him until he got that one step closer to the truth.

Mulder heard the uncertainty in Scully's voice. He ignored her suggestion and informed her that he wanted to stake out Colonel Carter's home once more, in the hopes that she would lead them somewhere. If nothing happened in a few hours, he planned to go to Denver and visit with the person who had first called attention to this Carter's file. A Denver cop by the name of Pete Shanahan.

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Three hours later, there had been no activity in Carter's home. Mulder started the car, and he and Scully made the hour-long drive to Denver, where they immediately made their way to the Denver Police Department Headquarters. Both agents showed their badges at the security desk and asked to be directed to Detective Peter Shanahan.

A tall man in a tattered tan sports coat arrived at the front desk five minutes later. "I'm Detective Shanahan," he informed the two agents.

"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, and this is Agent Scully. We're with the F.B.I." he told the Detective.

An expression of panic flickered across the detectives face before he regained his composure. The change in expression was not lost on Agent Mulder, though.

"How can I help you?" Detective Shanahan asked calmly.

Scully jumped in and answered before Mulder could; she wanted some straight answers out of the detective before Mulder scared him off with one of his theories. "We received a tip from a detective here in the Denver Police Department about a then Major in the Air Force about a year ago. We're following up," she informed him.

"Is that so?" Shanahan asked, his increasing discomfort with the situation becoming more and more apparent.

"Look, we know it was you," Mulder said, a threatening tone starting to raise in his voice. "Tell us what you know, unless you want the government to find out that you've been using your connections at the F.B.I. to get information for personal reasons."

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Detective Pete Shanahan was now in a true state of panic. He knew that he was very compelled to tell the agents in front of him all about the SGC and what was inside. He was still angry with Sam for the way she had ended things with him, and though he was moving on, the knowledge that he would always carry with him concerning the SGC cold not make him forget about her easily. Telling these agents would certainly ease some of the pressure that came with knowing about a top secret military operation. Unfortunately, there was that pesky non-disclosure form that he had had to sign.

"Sorry," Pete responded. He smiled to himself as he devised a plan of what to tell the agents. "I don't have anything to say."

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"Detective, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation," Scully informed him, knowing that although Mulder's threat probably meant nothing, it was the best motivator to get some information out of the reluctant detective.

Shanahan smiled. "I'm not allowed," he informed the detectives.

"You're not allowed?" Mulder asked in a calm tone that Scully knew meant that he was anything but calm.

"Nope," Shanahan answered merrily. "I signed this form… I can't tell anyone anything, or I get arrested," he explained.

Scully was about to answer that the excuse was not going to suffice, even though she understood the seriousness of non-disclosure statements, when Mulder pulled her away. "Thanks," he told the detective before leading Scully out of the precinct.

"Okay, Mulder, really, I've had enough. What was the point of that?" Scully asked, walking fast to keep up with Mulder.

"He was hiding something, Scully," Mulder said cryptically.

"Obviously," Scully answered, annoyed. "If we had continued to question him, he would have eventually told us."

Mulder stopped walking and turned back to look at Scully. "He wouldn't have said anything, Scully. The man's a coward. He's too scared that he'd go to jail," he said with a smile.

"Then why are you so happy?" Scully asked, figuring that she already knew the answer.

"Now we know there's something more than deep space radar telemetry going on in that mountain, and we know that Colonel Carter's our source," Mulder said before turning and continuing on his way.

Scully rolled her eyes and followed, wondering how and when this was all going to end.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay in the update. I was stuck for a while there on where exactly this story was going, but I've got it worked out now, so I should be posting more frequently again. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters and some of the plot points.

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Carter arrived at Petersen Air Field at 0730. She was greeted at the entrance by two airmen and escorted to her plane. She handed her bag, containing her laptop as well as a few other odds and ends, to one of the men and stepped onto the stairs leading to the plane. She was already dressed in her uniform, ready to go to her meeting with Agent Barrett the moment that she stepped off of the plane.

Carter entered the cockpit. Though she did not normally pilot flights these days, she had taken permission from General Landry to borrow a plane, along with a co-pilot, for her trip. It was something that she had wanted to do for a while. Traveling through the Stargate, while always an adventure, was certainly not the same as flying her own airplane, and it had been too long since she had flown; and at that moment, she needed the sense of freedom that basic flying always brought.

Her co-pilot, Airman Robert Marshall, stood and saluted when Carter entered. Carter returned the salute and said, "At ease, Airman" She smiled as she sat down and surveyed the controls quickly, ensuring that she had her bearings and that she would be able to safely navigate the plane to Washington.

She turned and smiled at her co-pilot. He looked slightly uneasy, though Carter wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was in the cockpit with a Lt. Colonel, or if it was that he was skeptical about her flying skills. "Relax, Marshall. I've flown these things hundreds of times," she informed him. "Now where's that on button again?" she asked to no one in particular. The man looked at her in shock. "I'm kidding," she said with a smile. Carter checked with the man to make sure that all systems were functioning properly and then contacted the control tower to check that it was okay to push back and take off. Receiving conformation, Carter took the plane off the count and headed due east, the smile remaining on her face.

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Carter landed the plane two hours later, though with the time difference, it had ended up being four hours. The military air craft was certainly faster than any commercial flight, at least. She thanked her co-pilot for a nice flight. He came to attention and saluted again. Trying to hold in her laughter at his formality, something that she was not used to, she returned the salute, retrieved her bags, and met the car that would take her to see the NID agent.

Carter looked up at the building in which the NID headquarters were housed, in the heart of Washington, D.C. She sighed as she thought of the last time that she had seen Agent Barrett; it was when she had been with Pete, and he had asked her to dinner. She entered the building, and approached the security desk to check-in, not sure of what to expect when she made her way to Agent Barrett's office.

After clearing security, she took the elevator to the floor where she knew that should find her old acquaintance. She knocked on his already open door. "Come in," he said without looking up from his papers.

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When Agent Malcolm Barrett did not hear the person at the door move into his office, he looked up. He was surprised to see Colonel Carter, in her dress blues, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"Colonel Carter," he said with a small smile, getting up from his desk to greet her. "It's good to see you." He had not forgotten her response when he had asked her out on a date, and he was wondering where this unexpected arrival would take them.

"Good to see you, too, Agent Barrett," Carter said, moving further into the office. Then, in her direct way, she jumped right into her purpose for being there. "I'm sorry that I didn't call before I dropped by. I need your help with something."

"Dropped by?" Barrett questioned, wondering why she hadn't told him that she would be in the Washington area; there were, as far as he knew, friends.

Carter smiled. "All right, I had to take a plane to be able to drop by, but in any case, I need some information on two F.B.I. agents."

Barrett raised an eyebrow. "F.B.I. Agents? What does the military want with two employees of the Bureau?" he questioned, as he made his way back behind his desk and motioned for Carter to take a seat across from him.

Carter took the seat and sighed before answering. "This is going to sound a little strange, Malcolm, but these two agents came to my house yesterday, asking about what I do."

"And you answered with the standard 'deep-space radar telemetry' story, right?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Carter nodded. "But, of course, they didn't believe me."

"What did they do?" Barrett inquired, thoroughly worried that they had done something to somehow hurt the woman sitting in front of him.

"Nothing, really. They drove off and checked into a hotel in downtown Colorado Springs," she replied.

Agent Barrett raised an eyebrow again. "What's the problem then?" he asked.

"Don't you ever get a feeling that someone's about to cause trouble, Malcolm?" Carter asked, her eyes imploring him to understand.

"Every time you walk through my door, Sam," was his reply.

She smiled a little before continuing. "General Landry wants SG-1 to find out everything that we can about them. And you were the first person that came to mind."

"You want me to dig up information on two F.B.I. agents? Sam, that's not exactly public information," Barrett replied, his voice rising just a little.

"I know that, Malcolm. That's why I came to you," Carter answered, equally as insistent to be heard. Then she calmed her voice again and said, "I need something to go on here. We need to find out if these two are going to be a real threat or not," Carter said.

"Fine," Barrett answered, turning to his computer. He typed his password in to access secure NID files and then turned to Carter. "I need names and anything else that you can give me," he told her.

"Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully," Carter responded. "The only other information I have is the license plate number on the car that they have at the moment."

Barrett looked up from his computer to survey Carter. "That's it?" he asked.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"I've worked with less," Barrett mumbled as he typed the names into the computer.

After a minute, his computer returned the results. He looked through the list of local news articles and general government files before he found what he desired: the bureau files on the agents. "Got it," he said, as he clicked on the link.

"Looks like these agents are working on a project known as the 'X-Files'," he informed Carter.

"The X-Files?" she asked.

"Hold on a second," he said. In five minutes, he had accessed the necessary secure F.B.I. database and found the description of the X-Files.

He read various snippets from the description. "Opened in 1999 by Agent Fox Mulder… unsolved mysteries and unexplained phenomena… only two agents on the project are Agents Mulder and Scully…"

Carter interrupted him. "Why would they care about what's going on at Cheyenne Mountain?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"No idea," Barrett answered. "The words 'top-secret' usually go without explanation."

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Carter watched as Agent Barrett typed some more. She had missed his company. He was the one NID agent whom she whole-heartedly trusted. Perhaps it had been working with him in close proximity on a case; or perhaps it was the fact that he had helped her clear Colonel O'Neill's name. Either way, she was glad that she had come to him with this dilemma.

Barrett looked up from typing to see her staring at him. "What?" he asked.

Carter smiled. "Nothing. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you," she said.

Barrett was taken aback, but he returned the smile. "I'm happy to see you too, Sam," he said. He looked back at his computer and continued. "So, how are things going with that man of yours?"

"We broke it off a few months ago," Carter answered.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Barrett said as he turned back to the screen.

"Thanks, Malcolm," Carter said with a soft smile. The beeping of the computer captured her attention, and she quickly went back into her professional mode. "So, what've we got?"

"I've got some of their mission reports. They seem to have encountered some strange things," he said vaguely, as he scrolled through one of the files.

"How did you find all of this?" Carter asked. She knew that the NID had quite a bit of access to government files, but she didn't think that finding individual mission reports was a possibility.

"Oh, I have my ways, Colonel. But, it's like you military-types say. If I told you…"

"You'd have to shoot me. I got it," Carter finished with a smile. "What can I take back to the SGC?" she asked.

"I'm printing out some of it for you right now. Sorry it's not much, but I really don't know if I should be telling you as much as I have," he said.

"I understand," Carter replied. "Thanks for all of your help," she added.

"It was really great to see you at my door, Sam," he said. "If you're in town for much longer, maybe you'd like to take me up on that offer for dinner?"

Carter looked down at her hands, not sure of what to say. Then she looked up. "I have to take something to the Pentagon, and then I'm due back at the SGC," she said.

"I understand," Agent Barrett said as he got out of his seat to retrieve the files that he had just printed.

"Malcolm," Carter started. "It's not that I don't want to. I would love to take a rain check."

---------------------------

Barrett nodded, though he wasn't sure if he believed the Colonel. He took the papers from the printer, placed them in a folder, and then took them to Carter, who graciously accepted them. "Thanks," she said.

Barrett inclined his head and then went to sit back at his desk, avoiding eye contact with Carter. Carter watched him for a few moments, but when Barrett didn't look back up, Carter tapped her hand on the desk twice before standing. "Thanks for all of your help, Malcolm," she said. "We really appreciate it."

Barrett nodded again, and looked up in time to see Carter disappearing through the door. "Bye, Sam," he whispered before returning to his work.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Well, although I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter, I figured I'd post this, to keep the story going. There's a little Carter/Mulder action coming up in about a chapter or two, and I hope that that will pique more interest. In any case, this next bit is a little Jack/Sam interaction. I had two versions of this scene written out, and I settled on this one for the story, but I liked the other one better, so I re-wrote it a little and posted it as a one-shot, so if you've read "A Moment in the Park", this may look a little familiar. Anyway, I'd like to apologize for the upcoming scene, and once you've read it, you'll see why. But I just felt that it furthered the story more than the other version. I'd love any feedback anyone has to give, though.

I know I've been making this promise for a while now, but there is definitely some action coming up very soon, and from there on out, it's pretty much all action.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

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Carter was satisfied with the progress that she had made with Agent Barrett, to the point that there was a slight, though barely noticeable, bounce in her step as she walked through the halls of the Pentagon. Carter had only to complete her mission for General Landry before she headed back to the SGC to continue her research into the F.B.I. Agents and the threat they posed to the program. She was a little disappointed that Agent Barrett had not seemed happy when she had left, but she also wasn't ready to go out on a date; she had to get out of that office.

As she turned the corner, she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Carter?"

Carter turned with a slight wince. She had been hoping to avoid the situation that was now unfolding in front of her. "General O'Neill," she responded. She glanced around and realized her position, so she saluted. It was not something she often did with General O'Neill, but, as they were in the Pentagon and not at the SGC, protocol had to be followed. Her superior returned the salute, told her to stand at ease, and then pointed towards his office, indicating that she should follow him there so that they would be able to talk in private.

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Major General Jack O'Neill was surprised, to say the least, to see Carter at the Pentagon. She had not called him to let him know that she would be in town, nor had anyone at the SGC informed him that one of their officers would be in Washington. O'Neill did not know how to feel about the situation, though, he admitted to himself, emotions were not exactly his strong-point.

O'Neill entered his office and closed the door behind Carter. He rounded his desk and sat down, motioning for her to take a seat across from him. She sat down slowly, appearing as if she wanted to be any place other than where she was at that moment.

"Hi," he said, looking at her almost wistfully. It had been quite some time since he had seen his old teammate and friend.

"Hi, sir," she responded, with a small smile.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fine, sir. How are you?" she asked, wondering where this conversation was headed.

"Fine, fine…" O'Neill responded absent-mindedly. He paused and then said slowly, "so…" O'Neill said slowly. "What brings you to Washington, Carter?" he asked.

Carter raised an eyebrow, surprised that the General did not know. "National security, I believe, sir." At O'Neill questioning look, she continued. "Some F.B.I. Agents came to my house yesterday and started asking questions about what I do. I didn't say anything, but they seemed like they wouldn't give up. We're trying to find as much information as possible on them. See what kind of threat they pose," she explained.

"And no one thought to inform me of this?" O'Neill asked, wondering what Landry was up to, not telling his commanding officer about a possibly compromising situation.

"Sorry, sir. There hasn't been any time. General Landry was going to call later on today," Carter explained.

O'Neill visibly relaxed a bit and then looked more deeply at Carter. She hadn't changed since he had last saw her. Still the same beautiful, intelligent, and over-worked Carter. O'Neill almost sighed in contentment before realizing where he was. Bringing himself out of his own thoughts, he said, "Visiting some old friends?" he asked, wondering what had specifically brought her to Washington.

"I came to see Agent Barrett," she explained.

"The NID guy?" O'Neill asked.

Carter nodded. "He gave me some background information on the agents." She took out one of the folders that she had with her and gave it to the General.

General O'Neill took the folder and opened it. In it were a picture on a man and a woman, each Special Agents in the F.B.I. He flipped through the pages quickly and then looked to Carter for further explanation.

"Apparently, these agents are working on some project known at the X-Files." Carter noticed the puzzled look General O'Neill gave her, and added, "I've never heard of it either, sir. Agent Barrett says that they deal primarily with paranormal phenomena."

General O'Neill raised an eyebrow at this. "You're saying the F.B.I. is trying to investigate little green men, Carter?"

Carter nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

"Wait until they find out that they're grey," he responded.

Carter smiled at the joke. "Well, sir, I'd better get this information back to General Landry," she said, eager to escape the office that seemed to be shrinking by the second. "I'm scheduled to leave at 1700 hours."

General O'Neill glanced at his watch. "That's two hours from now, Carter," he said. "Why don't I take you out for an early dinner before you head back to the Air Field? Give us a chance to catch up," he added, hoping that he wasn't sound too forward.

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Carter was a little shocked by the suggestion. There was nothing that she would love more, but she sincerely felt that part of the reason that she been glad about General O'Neill's transfer, as well as hers, was that they would not have to be taunted by the fraternization regulations every day, while they were working side by side. She did not know if she would be able to sit through dinner with him without her feelings for him resurfacing with a vengeance. It had been hard enough to say goodbye once, and she did not want to go through it again. Still, he was her old teammate and friend, and she hadn't seen him a while. Her heart won yet another battle with her brain and she said "Sure, sir." _That's right, Carter,_ she thought to herself, _maintain the professional distance. He's still your commanding officer._ Then she remembered that she still had a task to complete for General Landry. "I just have to stop off and see Major Davis before we go," she said. "General Landry asked me to give him something."

They left the office a minute later and O'Neill locked the door behind him. "Going to dinner," he said, by way of explanation to his secretary, who stared after the general, wondering who the woman with him was and why the general was leaving so suddenly.

O'Neill and Carter walked down the hall to Major Davis's office together. O'Neill stood back as carter knocked and was told to enter.

Major Davis stood and greeted the Lt. Colonel. She handed him the papers after ensuring that he was doing well, and then bade him a good night. She tried not to appear to eager as she exited the office again and rejoined General O'Neill.

"What are you in the mood for, Carter?" General O'Neill asked, relieved and elated, if not somewhat surprised, that Carter had accepted his dinner invitation.

"I don't know, sir. Wherever you want to go is fine with me," she responded.

"Right, Carter," he said and led her out of one of the many doors and to a restaurant close by that he favored.

Carter took in the restaurant with interest. It seemed to be frequented by Pentagon personnel. Many were even in uniform. She was glad that she now had the motivation to not say or do anything that would tread on breaking fraternization regulations. She relaxed a bit, ready to enjoy spending some time with her old friend.

O'Neill followed the waiter as he led them to a table, and he pulled out a chair for Carter. "Thank you, sir," she said, taking a seat.

O'Neill nodded and took a seat across from her. "So…" he started.

"So…" she responded, with a nervous smile.

"How've you been, Carter?" he asked.

"Good, sir," she said, still smiling. "You?"

"Fine, Carter. Miss the SGC, though," he responded.

"Understandable, sir," she said.

"Yes, Carter," he replied, unsure of what to say next. "Look, Carter, could you stop acting so… nervous?" he asked. "It's me, for cryin' out loud."

"I'm not nervous, sir," she responded, trying to convince herself more than him.

"Sure, Carter. Anyway, how are things around the old base?" he asked.

"Fine, sir. The team's taking a little time off to investigate these agents. Colonel Mitchell's being keeping tabs on them," she told him.

"And how about you, Carter? How are you holding up?" he asked, concerned for her after everything she had been through in the past year.

"Well, sir," she answered, not sure again of whom she was convincing. It had been difficult, she admitted, and she did avoid her house like the plague when she could, but she was recovering from everything that she had faced. At least, she felt like she was.

"You know, Carter, you don't always have to be the brave soldier," O'Neill told her.

"I know, sir," Carter responded. She paused and then continued. "I'm not trying to be brave, sir. I'm really okay."

O'Neill nodded.

The waiter approached to take their orders. After giving them, Carter filled O'Neill in on the goings on at the SGC that weren't in the mission reports that he most likely wasn't reading carefully anyway. She told him about how Daniel was taking to Mitchell. Not well, she informed him. They constantly fought. O'Neill reminded her that he and Daniel were quite the same when they had first met. She informed him of how the personnel were taking to General Landry; they liked him and respected him, though their relationship with him was certainly different than it had been with General Hammond and General O'Neill.

As their food arrived, Carter had finished her babbling about the SGC. She concentrated on the food in front of her, and the two ate in silence, occasionally looking up to catch the other looking away quickly.

Part way through the meal, O'Neill's phone rang. He sighed as he put down his fork and then answered it. "O'Neill," he said into the receiver. He listened for a moment and then barked "I'm busy, Lieutenant," which captured the attention of every other person in the restaurant. Oblivious to what was going on around him, O'Neill said, "I'll be back in half an hour, Lieutenant. We can talk about it then." With that, he hung up his phone and turned it off.

"Sir," Carter said. "If you need to go…" she trailed off, realizing that she really didn't want the General to leave.

"No, Carter. They'll just have to wait for a little longer," he said, offering no further explanation.

They continued their meal in silence. When they were done, O'Neill paid and they made their way back to Carter's car, which was waiting nearby. Before she got in, she turned back to the general and said, "it was great to see you again, sir." She wanted to give him a hug, tell him that she had missed him a lot over these past few months, but she stopped herself. The good soldier in her would not allow her to break regulations. Instead, she settled for a polite salute, which O'Neill returned sadly. He too wanted to embrace Carter, go back with her, even, but he couldn't. He watched as she got into the car and left him yet again. He whispered "Bye, Carter," and then turned back to head back inside the Pentagon building.

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Carter turned back as the car drove away and watched as General O'Neill disappeared into the distance. Carter whispered, "Bye, sir," and then turned back and sat in silent thought as her car made its way to the Air Field.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry for the huge gap between updates again. Here's the new chapter. All I really have to say is... and so it begins... and, of course, that feedback is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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Her co-pilot from the morning's flight was waiting for her there. He saluted and then took her bag from her as she made her way back into the cockpit. She climbed into the co-pilot seat and allowed Marshall to fly the plane back to Petersen, so that she could prepare the presentation that she would be giving on the agents when she arrived back at the SGC.

She immediately made her way back to the SGC, and, after stopping by her quarters to change, reported to the Briefing Room, where she knew her team would be waiting to hear her news.

"Welcome back, Colonel," Landry said when she entered. "I trust your mission was a success?"

"Yes, sir," she responded before presenting the folders that she was carrying to him. She had not had time to make copies for her team, but she was able to hook her laptop to the presentation equipment. Turning everything on, she called up the document that she had made while on the plane and turned towards the team.

A picture of Agent Mulder appeared on the screen. "This is Special Agent Fox Mulder," she said, indicating the man behind her. She advanced the screen to show a picture of Agent Scully. "And this is Special Agent Dana Scully." She looked over at General Landry. When he nodded, she continued. "They are both employed by the F.B.I. Agent Mulder has a degree from Oxford in Psychology. He graduated summa cum laude. Agent Scully has a B.S. in Physics and is a medical doctor."

"Weird match-up," Mitchell chimed in.

"That doesn't scratch the surface," Carter responded. She advanced the screen again to reveal a picture of a folder with the word "Confidential" on it. "What I'm about to show is not something that isn't exactly public knowledge," she said. "Luckily, red tape isn't something that can usually stop Agent Barrett, and he was able to get this information for me –us."

She advanced the slide again, bringing back the picture of Agents Mulder and Scully. "These two agents are part of a secret part of the F.B.I. called 'The X-Files'. It specializes in the research of unexplained and unsolved cases. Particularly, Agent Mulder seems to be interested in alien encounters here on Earth."

"Alien encounters?" Landry questioned. "You think he knows something about the SGC?"

"Honestly, sir, I'm not sure," Carter answered. "I don't think he does. Agent Mulder is eccentric, to say the least. He's determined to find the beings that took his sister when he was younger, and he's convinced that it was aliens. I think that the fact that my file didn't have much of anything in it raised his suspicions that I was involved in something to do with his sister's abduction, though he probably has absolutely no logical reason nor proof."

"So, basically, this guy's a psycho?" Mitchell asked.

"I don't know if I'd say that," Daniel answered. "He's just determined to find the truth." He glanced over at the Stargate, which was visible through the window. "He's probably not ready for it, though."

"So, how does this Agent Scully fit in?" Landry asked.

"That's the weird part, sir. I don't think that she buys into any of this. I've read some of her reports, and she seems to have a logical explanation for everything," Carter said.

"Then why does she remain at his side?" Teal'c asked.

Carter shrugged, though she had an idea. It was probably the same reason that she herself had put up with O'Neill's crazy schemes for eight years. Thinking about O'Neill brought another thought to mind. "Sir, I ran into General O'Neill while I was at the Pentagon and I took the liberty of informing him of the situation."

"Yes, thank you. What do you propose we do about this man, Colonel?" Landry asked her.

"I'm not sure, sir," Carter answered.

"Figure it out, SG-1. I need you all back on the field as soon as possible," Landry said. With that, he made his ever-popular abrupt exit.

Carter turned to Mitchell. "What did your surveillance turn up?" she asked him.

"That your stalker is boring," he told her. "They didn't really leave the hotel all day. Sam, what makes you so sure that this guy is a threat anyway?"

"I don't know, Cam," she replied. "It was just something in his voice and his eyes when he told me that he knew that I was just telling a cover-story." She looked over at Mitchell. "Don't you ever get a gut feeling, Cam?"

Mitchell couldn't argue with that, though he was surprised that General Landry was paying so much attention to a gut feeling. "So what do you propose we do?" he asked.

Carter shook her head. "I don't know. Keep an eye on them?"

"Why don't we just shoot them now, and then we won't have anything to worry about?" Mitchell asked, with a perfectly straight face.

Carter laughed and proceeded down the hall without replying. Mitchell went after her, insisting that she hear him out on his idea to assassinate the two F.B.I. agents and vehemently blame aliens for the deed. "Come on, Sam. We can even get Teal'c to do it. That way, we won't be lying."

Carter continued to her lab, pursued by Mitchell. By the time they had reached her lab, both were laughing almost uncontrollably. Carter took a deep breath and calmed herself before saying, "Thanks, Cam. I needed that."

"Hey," Mitchell said. "What are old friends for?"

Carter nodded and moved over to her bench, where her prototype Prior disruptor sat. Having no idea what to do with it next, she turned back to Mitchell. "What do you think would happen if we just told them?" she asked.

"Tell them what? That we go through a giant ring to other planets and make nice with the aliens that we meet there?" Mitchell asked sarcastically.

"Something like that," Carter replied. "I mean, if we can get them clearance…"

"That's not exactly safe, Carter. Who knows who that nut-job'll tell about this place?" Mitchell asked. "And I thought you were the one who said you had a 'feeling' about this guy."

"I know," Carter said, sighing.

"We'll keep an eye on them, and if they bother any one of us, we can bring 'em in and explain to them that they're over their heads," Mitchell told Carter. She nodded in reply. "I'm headed to the commissary to meet the gang. You in?" he asked.

"No, I think I'll stay here and work on this for a while," Carter responded as she indicated the prototype on her lab table.

"All right," Mitchell said as he headed to the door. He turned back to look once more at his friend, worried that everything was piling on her too quickly.

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"So, Mitchell, what's the plan for tonight?" Daniel asked, as they reached the surface to leave the base for the night. They had been staking out the hotel at which the two F.B.I. agents were staying for a good part of the day, and SG-7 had taken over for the evening, in the hopes that the Earth-side mission would result in no fatalities for the cursed SG team.

"We could hit O'Malleys again. That waitress really couldn't get enough of me," Mitchell responded.

"Oh, please," Daniel replied. "She was almost ready to deck you last night." Teal'c bowed his head in agreement.

Mitchell was about to reply when he saw Carter headed their way. "Hey, Carter," he called. "Headed out?"

"Hey Cameron, Daniel. Yeah, looks that way, doesn't it?" Carter replied.

"Well, we wouldn't want to keep you, unless you want to come out with us?" Mitchell asked, hopeful that they would finally be able to have an official 'team night'.

Carter shook her head. "Maybe some other time, Cam," she said. "Good night." Carter made her way out the door.

Mitchell followed her with his eyes and then turned to his two companions. "New plan, Jackson," he said before following Carter out of the door.

"Mitchell, where are we going?" Daniel asked, following Mitchell with Teal'c in tow.

Mitchell motioned for them to be quiet as he headed out to his car. He climbed in, and Daniel and Teal'c followed suit. "I want to make sure that Carter'll be all right," he said.

"Oh," Daniel said, sitting back and keeping quiet.

"Should we not inform Colonel Carter that we are indeed following her?" Teal'c asked from the back seat.

"Uh, no, Teal'c. I don't think she'd like it much if she knew we were following her," Mitchell replied.

Teal'c bowed his head as he realized that this was true and that it was probably important to keep an eye on Carter, as the agents had targeted her previously.

The trio followed Carter in her car back to Carter's house. They parked down the street and watched as Carter got out of her car, looked around for any unknown vehicles, and then proceeded inside. Mitchell turned off the engine and continued to watch without a word to his two teammates.

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An hour later, nothing had happened. There was no movement in front of or even inside the house. Thoroughly bored and unsure of what to do, Mitchell said, "so, you think these guys will actually make a move today?"

Daniel shrugged. "No-" His reply was cut short as he noticed a car pull up in front of the house and stop. A man emerged from the car, but instead of going to the front door, he scaled the back fence. Upon inspection of the car, the three SG-1 members saw no one else inside. They all immediately got out and headed slowly but swiftly towards the house, worried about what the man desperate for information would do.

----------------------------

Carter sighed as she found herself, yet again, at her house. She obtained a glass of water from the kitchen and then moved into the living room. She sat down and sighed again, thinking of how boring it was at home. She wished that she had taken her teammates up on their offer to go out for the evening, but she didn't feel like company either.

Carter sat up quickly when she thought she heard something towards the back of the house. She listened for a few seconds and then settled back down, convinced that it was her own mind playing tricks on her; it was probably just her desire to have some excitement cut into the gloom that was her home life.

Carter leaned against the pillow sitting next to the arm of her couch and picked up the book that was sitting on her coffee table. It was one that she had read many times, but she could never resist the story that it told. As she settled down to read, she was almost certain that she heard another noise, closer this time. She shook her head slightly, as if to tell herself that she shouldn't believe what she was hearing, when she felt the cold barrel of a handgun pointed at the back of her head.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: I had a lot of fun with Mitchell and Mulder in this part. Hope you like it! I'd appreciate any feedback.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters from _Stargate SG-1_ or _The X-Files_.

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"Maybe you'll be more motivated to answer my questions now, Colonel," said a voice from behind Carter. It was one that she recognized.

"Agent Mulder?" she asked tentatively.

The man behind her chuckled sarcastically. "You didn't think I'd give up that easily, did you, Colonel?" he asked. "When I saw you at our hotel last night, I finally got the conformation that I was looking for."

"What are you talking about?" Carter asked, breathing slowly, and hoping beyond hope that her judgment of Mulder was correct and that he was not an irrational man.

"I saw you in the hotel parking lot last night." Mulder replied. "And I saw your men this morning. You were keeping an eye on us. Why?"

"It's not every day I get someone coming around here demanding to know about my work," Carter answered calmly. "We had to make sure that you weren't going to cause any trouble for us in the future."

"Or is it because there's something going on in that mountain that you don't want me to find out about?" Mulder asked, pushing the barrel of his gun further into Carter's skull.

The man was certainly desperate, Carter could see. She didn't know how to escape the situation unscathed while still protecting the secrets of the SGC. "Agent Mulder," she said calmly. "We study deep space from that mountain. Nothing more."

"Lies," Mulder said. "I want the truth, Colonel Carter. What are you hiding in that base?" He squeezed the trigger a little, making it apparent to Carter that the man was serious in his pursuit of the truth.

"All right," she nearly screamed. Calming herself, she repeated, "all right." She took a deep breath and said, "Just put the gun down, and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Mulder relaxed his hold on his gun and then slowly eased it back into its holster.

As Carter took another deep breath and prepared to get up as fast as she could and run, she heard someone kick at her back door, successfully opening it. Mitchell rushed in with his gun pointed at Mulder.

"Cam," Carter said, getting up quickly. "Don't shoot."

Mitchell nodded at her and then turned back to Mulder, his gun still trained on the man. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Mulder, far from looking angry or scared, seemed incredibly happy. He didn't answer the question, so Mitchell demanded, "What do you want with Colonel Carter?" Mulder still didn't answer. Mitchell was fuming by that point. "You're coming with us," Mitchell said, taking Mulder by the arm and leading him out of the house. Carter followed and took the keys from Mitchell when he handed them to her. She climbed into the driver's seat, still a little shaken, while Mitchell forced Mulder into the back and then climbed in himself to ensure that Mulder did not escape.

Daniel and Teal'c emerged from the back of the house, where they had been ready to provide back-up if necessary. Daniel walked over to the car, and Mitchell instructed him to take Carter's keys from inside the house and take her car to the base. He then told Carter to head towards the base, where they could properly interrogate the F.B.I. agent. Carter nodded and pulled the car out. She waited until Daniel and Teal'c got into her car and then followed them back to the SGC.

------------------------

"Sir, he was at Carter's house, holding a gun to her head," Mitchell insisted. "I think we have cause to have him arrested."

"I'm fully aware of that, Colonel. But Colonel Carter insists that we don't press charges yet," General Landry answered.

"Why?" Mitchell asked.

"She thinks that we should give him a chance to explain why he's so desperate to find out what we do here," Landry told him. "For now, we're keeping him close to the surface in an interrogation room. I want SG-1 to handle the interrogation. Keep me posted on what you learn," he instructed. "You're dismissed."

Mitchell grudgingly turned and walked out of the door of the General's office, determined to find Carter and get an explanation from her as to why she was unwilling to incarcerate the agent.

He found her right outside of the interrogation room where Mulder was being held. "So," he asked.

"So?" she responded.

"What's up, Sam? Why don't you want this guy arrested?" he asked.

"He's desperate, Cam. He wants to know. And I want to know why he wants to know so badly. And what makes him think that we have any reason to know anything about aliens," she responded.

"So that's our objective?" Mitchell asked.

Carter nodded and indicated for Mitchell to precede her into the room. Mitchell entered and immediately sat down at the table, facing Mulder, who merely smiled at the show.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road," Mitchell said without preamble. "What do you want with Colonel Carter? What could possibly be so important that you threatened her life?" he demanded.

Mulder continued to smile mysteriously, only serving to infuriate Mitchell further. "Look, just tell me what it is that you want to know, and maybe, just maybe, we won't press charges," he said.

Mulder still did not answer, though it appeared that he was now contemplating his options.

Mitchell hit the table with his hands, looking as if he was ready to launch himself over the table at the man sitting across from him. "Come on, we don't have all day. And the general is almost ready to hand you over to the cops. So I suggest you start talking."

Mulder leaned forward. "What is that you do here?" he asked calmly.

Mitchell stood up in frustration and threw his hands into the air. "I don't believe this," he said to no one in particular. "This guy's practically under arrest, and all he cares about is what we do here."

"What do you think we do here, Agent Mulder?" Carter asked calmly.

"I think that this place is part of the biggest government cover-up to date," Mulder answered, equally coolly.

"There's nothing fishy about deep space radar telemetry," Carter responded.

"I'm sure there isn't," Mulder said. Then he lowered his voice and said dramatically, "but that's not what you do here," as if he was the one telling the secret.

"I've told you before, and I'm telling you again, you're seeing things that aren't there, Agent Mulder," Carter said.

"I know what I saw, Colonel Carter. You're involved in something, and it's obviously something top secret," he said.

Mitchell took his opportunity to interrupt. "Now see, I don't get that. You work for the government. Don't the words 'top secret' mean anything to you?"

Mulder surveyed Mitchell for a moment before answering. "I know when to cross that line," he answered.

Mitchell held his head in his hand and motioned for Carter to continue.

"What are you looking for here, Agent Mulder?" Carter asked. "Besides 'the truth'," she added, anticipating his answer.

Mulder sighed and remained silent for quite some time. When he spoke, it was in a sad tone of voice. "My sister. I need to find out what happened to my sister."

"Your sister?" Carter questioned. "What happened to her?" she asked, now showing genuine concern and compassion.

Again, Mulder remained silent for some time. Then he answered cautiously. "She was taken from our home when we were both pretty young," he said.

"Why would the government have anything to do with that disappearance?" Carter asked.

"Not the government," Mulder said.

"Then who?" Carter asked.

"Aliens," he said.

"Aliens?" Carter questioned with a laugh. "Little green men?"

"Actually, they're gray," Mulder responded, the smile returning to his face.

Carter glanced at Mitchell for a moment before returning her gaze to Mulder. "All right, fine. Little gray men, then. There's no proof that they even exist."

"I'm sure that's what you want me to think," Mulder replied.

"Right," Mitchell said sarcastically.

------------------------

Mulder broke eye contact and looked back at the wall, lost in thought. He was close. He knew he was. But he had probably pushed these Air Force officers' buttons by threatening Colonel Carter. Though, he could not find it in himself to care too deeply, for, at the time, it seemed the best option for obtaining information.

"Just tell me what's really going on around here, and I'll drop it," Mulder said, hoping that the two Air Force officers would buy into the lie.

"You're in no position to make demands," Mitchell informed him.

"But I can tell other people about what happened here. There would probably be a more thorough investigation," Mulder suggested.

"I doubt it," Mitchell replied. "They would have to approve of what you did to get this far into the base in the first place, and somehow, I don't see threatening an Air Force Colonel with a gun in her home going over well with anyone over at the FBI."

"Colonel Carter, can I speak with you?" Landry asked, appearing in the doorway of in the interrogation room.

"Yes, sir," Carter said. She got up from the table with a glance at Mulder and then followed General Landry out of the room.

------------------------

Landry led her into his office and closed the door behind her. She stood at attention while he took his seat. He motioned for her to take a seat and then asked, "So, Colonel, what do you think?"

"I know you're skeptical about this, sir, but I think that we should just tell him," Carter insisted.

"And why's that?" he asked.

"We've had a lot of people snooping around over the years, but never someone from the government. I don't think we ever really thought of this possibility. And we've seen what other governments have done when they found out. What will our own government do if they find out we've been keeping this from them for almost fifteen years?" Carter said.

"Point taken," Landry replied. "I'm going to have to talk to Jack and the President about this. I'm still not completely convinced, but I'll see what the higher ups say."

"Yes, sir," Carter replied.

"Dismissed. You can tell Colonel Mitchell to let Agent Mulder go," Landry said in a tone that said that there was nothing more to this conversation.

"Yes, sir," Carter said, before she got up and left the office.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for this huge gap in between posts! And thanks to the reviewer who brought me back to my senses!

I pretty much know where this story is going, but I'm trying to keep ahead of myself and plan out as much as possible, so that the story doesn't drag on any more than it already has.

Thanks for continuing to read and review.

* * *

Carter led the two agents into the depths of Stargate Command, stopping only to ensure that they passed through security and signed the non-disclosure statements. She introduced Scully to Mitchell, who was waiting for the group at the second elevator, in order to escort them further into the mountain.

Mitchell turned to the two agents and said, "Follow me, please." With that, he turned and did not speak with them again as he escorted them through the elevator. He had no idea why the Generals had agreed to this, but then again, Carter could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. _Probably a perk of being one of the few females on the base_, Mitchell thought bitterly and then mentally cringed as he thought of what Carter's reaction would be if he were to voice his opinion.

They reached the twenty-eighth floor, and Carter held the door as their guests stepped out. She smirked at Mitchell and then stepped out herself. Mitchell smiled sarcastically and then followed Carter to the Briefing Room.

Upon entering, the first thing that he noticed was that the blast door was down, so that no one could see into the Gate Room.

General Landry stood at the head of the table and motioned for the guests to take their seats. Mitchell and Carter took their places across from the two guests.

Before the general could say anything, two men entered the room. One was carrying some folders with the words "TOP SECRET" stamped on them, and the other walked a step behind him, as if guarding the man in front of him. He wore a cap, which Mulder found odd. He did not think it was military protocol to wear a cap in front of a superior officer, but the general didn't seem to mind.

The man in the front shifted the folders in his hands and held his right out to first Mulder and then Scully. "Hi," he said. "I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson. And this is Te- Murray," he said, inclining his head towards the man who still stood a little behind him. Teal'c bowed his head in greeting after raising an eyebrow at the use of his alias.

"And I'm Major General Hank Landry. Please take your seats, gentlemen, and we can begin," General Landry said.

The two men did as they were told, taking seats next to Carter and Mitchell. General Landry nodded at Dr. Jackson, and Dr. Jackson passed the folders that he had been holding to the two agents.

"This facility is the home to an alien device, known as the Stargate. It is capable of creating an artificial wormhole that allows people to travel from one gate to another. The Stargate was discovered in 1928, during a dig in Giza. It was brought here and finally opened a little over ten years ago, by Dr. Jackson," Carter explained. Both agents looked over at Dr. Jackson, who smiled sheepishly.

Carter continued. "Since then, we have traveled to many planets. We've made friends and enemies, and we've been able to bring back technologies that have helped make us capable of fighting threats and of interstellar travel."

Mulder and Scully both looked at her, shocked. Both were asking themselves the same question: why would they string together such an elaborate story? Carter smiled at the looks on their face; _still skeptical_, she thought to herself. "It's a lot to take in, I know."

Mulder looked up at Carter when she said this. "Why?" he asked simply.

Carter shook her head. "Why what?" she asked.

"Why has the government been covering this up all this time? Who knows about this program?"

Carter looked over at General Landry. He nodded again, so she answered. "This is dangerous information," Carter told him, intently looking him in the eyes. "There are enemies out there with technologies that are far more advanced than anything that we have here on Earth. We've managed to defeat some of them without telling the world and sending everyone into a panic," she told him.

"The President and the Joint Chiefs have always felt that this was the best course of action," General Landry added.

Mulder shook his head in disagreement, but he didn't say anything. He allowed the people in front of him to continue.

Dr. Jackson took the opportunity to speak, hoping a light-hearted anecdote could serve to alleviate the skepticism of the two agents. "You've both, I'm sure, heard the myths of aliens kidnapping and experimenting on humans. Well, those aren't myths. Those are the Asgard. They're a very advanced race of aliens who have been our allies in the fight against our common enemies," he said. "And contrary to popular belief, they're grey, not green," he added with a smile, in the hopes of lightening the mood.

"See, Scully," Mulder said quietly to his partner in his usual monotonous tone. "I told you they were grey."

"Mulder," Scully whispered back. "You're actually buying all of this?"

"I can see that you still have your doubts," General Landry said. "That's why, before I have you see the Stargate, I've arranged to show you something most people, even people at the SGC, don't get to see." He motioned to the airman at the door, who opened it to allow someone inside. A pretty woman in a white lab coat walked in, followed by another airman who was wheeling in a tank with some sort of being in it. The tank had wires going into it.

"This is Dr. Carolyn Lam, the Chief Medical Officer of this facility," Carter offered by way of introduction. "Dr. Lam has brought a specimen that we have been studying for a few weeks now."

"This is a Goa'uld symbiote," Dr. Lam informed them.

"The Goa'uld are a parasitic race of beings who take human hosts to survive. Their primary goal is to gain power, and they do so by enslaving humans and other races," Carter told them.

"The symbiote needs some elements of a human body to survive," Dr. Lam explained. "This includes body heat, moisture, and electrical currents. We've been able to create a simulation environment that is able to sustain a symbiote for some time."

"So, Agent Mulder, Agent Scully, behold the first alien that you'll meet at the SGC," Mitchell said, with a gesture of grandeur towards the symbiote. He glanced quickly at the man, Murray, who hadn't said anything as of yet, but he did not elaborate on the glance.

"Our Stargate is currently undergoing a diagnostic, so it may be a while before we can show you," Carter explained. "We can give you a tour of the base."

The General stood and the four SGC personnel stood along with him. Carter and Mitchell led the way out of the Briefing Room and down to the Control Room, which was bustling with activity, while the General made his way back to his office.

Daniel and Teal'c lingered behind. "How do you think they're taking all of this?" Daniel asked Teal'c quietly.

"I am not certain, Daniel Jackson. I do not think that they actually believe anything that they are seeing as of yet," Teal'c answered, watching the disappearing backs of the two agents.

Daniel nodded in agreement. "I just hope that Sam knows what she's doing. Mitchell and General Landry don't look all that happy having those two here."

Teal'c bowed his head. "Indeed," he said. "How was it that Colonel Carter was able to convince General Landry to allow these visitors to come to the base?" Teal'c asked.

"I'm not sure," Daniel answered. "But I think that Jack might have had something to do with it."

Teal'c raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner. He then followed the group out of the Briefing Room, Daniel at his side.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I've been a bad author, I know. But Revelations is still coming along, albeit a little bit more slowly than before. I know where I'm going, but it's getting there that's sort of the hard part. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this next chapter. I'll try my best to post the next one very soon. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

When they caught up with the group, they were in the Infirmary. Carter was just saying, "The staff here is capable of dealing with a slew of problems, including off-world diseases and Goa'uld symbiote care." 

"Although I don't know why they'd want to," Mitchell murmured.

Carter smiled at his comment but didn't say anything. "Now, if you'll follow us, we have a few more things to show you before we take you back to the Control Room."

Agent Scully appeared to very interested in the infirmary, and Carter reminded herself that Agent Scully was a medical doctor. The FBI agent looked very disappointed with having to leave so soon.

Mitchell and Carter led the group around the rest of the floor, careful not to show them too much in the way of weapons or other technology. They did feel it fit to show the two Dr. Jackson's lab, which had some alien artifacts, all with only cultural value and nothing more.

Mitchell turned to Carter as they went along. "Sam, why are we showing them all of this?" he asked in a low whisper.

Carter turned to look at her friend. "He wants to know the truth," Sam said. "And it's better that he hears it from us before he goes off and threatens the higher-ups." Mitchell was about to protest, but Sam interrupted him. "And you know he would, Cam. He's that determined." She placed a hand on his arm gently. "Look, just trust me on this one."

Mitchell sighed and then smirked at Sam. "I guess if they threaten to go public, we can always just send them to Atlantis or something."

Sam laughed softly, so as not to arouse suspicion from the two guests as they made their way back to the Control Room.

"Just finishing the diagnostic, sir, ma'am," Harriman said when Mitchell and Carter walked in.

"Great," Mitchell said, clapping his hands together in anticipation of going through the gate again.

General Landry came down the stairs and looked to Carter for a status report. "Just finishing, sir," she told him.

"Good," General Landry said. "Raise the blast doors and let's give it a go," he said.

They raised the doors, and the two agents looked on in awe as they got their first look of the Stargate. Neither had expected what they saw before them: the huge stone ring with strange glyphs.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Daniel asked when he saw their faces.

"This is the Stargate?" Mulder asked. Daniel nodded. "It's just a hunk of rock," he said.

"That and so much more," was Daniel's mystic answer.

Before the team at the computers could do anything, the wheel began turning on its own. Mulder was shocked to see that it was capable of doing that. Daniel smiled as he watched the change in Mulder's expression.

"Unscheduled off-world activation," Harriman said into the microphone at his side.

"Close the iris," General Landry ordered as the gate was almost done dialing.

Carter looked at the computer. "Receiving IDC, sir," she said. "It's the Tok'ra," she added.

General Landry looked at her before looking back at the Stargate. There was now a shimmering blue light coming from behind the iris, indicating that the gate was open. He sighed and then said, "Open the iris. Colonel Carter, why don't you show our guests some more of the base?"

Carter was eager to hear what the Tok'ra had to say, as they had had very little contact with the Tok'ra since her father's death. Still, she knew that any guests at the SGC were not allowed to become involved in on-going missions, and, as it had been she who had convinced the generals to invite the two agents, she knew that it was her responsibility to keep them occupied. "Yes, sir," she said, before turning to Agent Scully. "You looked like you wanted to get a better look at the Infirmary," she said. "Why don't we go back there?"

General Landry turned to the rest of the team. "The rest of you with me," he said before making his way out of the Control Room to the Gate Room.

* * *

Mulder looked back through the window at the gate just before Carter ushered them back out. The metal covering that had appeared a few minutes before was gone, but instead of the empty space within the ring that had been there when the "iris" was closed, there was a shimmering pool of what appeared to be blue water. A figure emerged through this pool just as General Landry and the other men reached the Gate Room. 

"That's the event horizon of a wormhole," Carter explained when she saw what Mulder was looking at. "And that," she added, pointing to the man who had emerged from the gate, "is one of the Tok'ra. Another race," she added, when she saw the agents' confused expressions. Then she turned quickly and led the way back out of the Control Room.

* * *

Mitchell had never met the Tok'ra before. As he had joined the Stargate program after the alliance with the Tok'ra had been all but severed, there had never been an opportunity. Regardless of how many mission reports he had read, he had absolutely no idea what the experience would be like. 

The Tok'ra in front of him stared as the four men entered the Gate Room. He showed signs of recognition when he saw Daniel and Teal'c. Then he turned and scowled at General Landry. "Are you the new leader of this facility?" the symbiote asked.

"I am," General Landry replied. "Major General Hank Landry."

"Where is General O'Neill?" the Tok'ra asked.

"He's at another facility now," General Landry replied vaguely.

The Tok'ra shot a look at Mitchell. "Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, head of SG-1," Mitchell said, just short of rudely, as he extended his hand to the Tok'ra.

Ignoring the hand, the Tok'ra, Delek, asked, "And where is Colonel Carter?"

Daniel was seething by this point. "She's busy," Daniel said with more rudeness than he had intended. He knew, perhaps better than anyone else in the room, how arrogant the Tok'ra could be, and he was not sure that the SGC was up for another one of their ill-thought plans. And perhaps, his emotions were getting the better of him as he thought of the injustice the Tok'ra had done to his friend by forcing her father to stay away from Earth for the last year of his life.

The Tok'ra ignored him and turned back to Landry, ignoring the others. "I request an audience with you immediately. There is some information that I have about the Ori threat that is of crucial importance," he informed the General.

Landry nodded and led the way to the Briefing Room, where all of the men sat down and turned to Delek.

Delek immediately jumped into his explanation, eager to share the information that he had so that he could return to the Tok'ra base. "Our intelligence informs us that Ba'al has been approached by a Prior. He was intrigued by the power that the Prior showcased and by the promise that he would be able to Ascend. He remembers well the power that Anubis had in his partially ascended form. He wishes this power for himself now."

"Are you saying that Ba'al wants to become a Prior?" Daniel asked.

Delek bowed his head, an affirmative answer.

Daniel challenged this. "Why would Ba'al ever give up being a false god to serve other false gods?" he asked.

Delek looked at Daniel as if Daniel were the most unintelligent being he had ever laid eyes on. "Ba'al merely seeks the power. He will use it to achieve his own ends," he answered.

"And what do you propose we do?" Landry asked.

"Ba'al must be stopped," Delek answered.

"Obviously," Mitchell said. "But what do you want _us_ to do?"

"We suggest that you simply take him by force. Capture him, and we will interrogate him together," Delek suggested, trying to make it sound as if he was proposing a good plan.

Mitchell scoffed at the suggestion. "So, you want us to do the dirty work so that you can get all the benefits?" he asked.

Landry looked at the Tok'ra, admittedly with a slight twinkle in his eye. "We're not going to put our people at risk on this one. The Priors will most likely see right through Ba'al anyway, and he won't live to see what we'd do."

"You do not understand," Delek insisted. "Ba'al has already undergone the transformation."


End file.
